It was cold outside. Frigid, even. And it was damp, too. Nasty weather.

I was getting Clara ready to leave the house. She was fed and dressed, and all she needed was a pair of shoes. I grabbed sneakers appropriate for the weather and began strapping them to her feet.

She rejected them, insisting on a pair of shoes more suited for a summer day. Shoes that would not provide her feet with the adequate protection that the weather demanded.

I let her wear her summer shoes without complaint.

I learned a long time ago that regardless of what doctors or boyfriends or husbands may say, women will continue to wear shoes that are damaging to their feet and unsuited for the conditions because they think they look good.

Who am I to deny my daughter this seemingly female rite of the non-sensible shoe?